Comfort Doll Huggable Hero

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a therapeutic doll functioning as a tactile comfort for service families and loved ones, wherein the doll is in the form of a female or male service member, and wherein the doll is customizable to resemble a particular service member. The doll is provided in conjunction with a registration card and available database to offer support to the service member family and customizable dog tags which identify a particular doll with a particular service member.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This patent application claims priority under 35 USC 119 (e) (1) from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/834,701, filed Jun. 13, 2013, of common inventorship herewith entitled, Comfort Doll's Huggable Hero.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to the field of dolls, and more specifically to the field of therapeutic dolls.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The prior art has put forth several designs for therapeutic dolls. Among these are:

U.S. Pat. No. 8,038,447 to Patricia Day-McCray describes an improved anatomical doll comprising a clear tummy and back that swivel open to reveal either removable or non removable organs. The removable organs are held in place by indentations in the abdomen of the doll, whereas each of the non removable organs has an individual recess that allows the non removable organ to be hidden further within the abdomen. An alternative embodiment of the invention is to provide a doll with missing limbs and corresponding prosthetic limbs. The improved anatomical doll provides a means to educate small children about human anatomy, especially children who need an upcoming surgical procedure explained to them.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,266 to Barbara L. Frank and Richard N. Neiman describes a psychotherapeutic doll comprising a substantially featureless soft body and head with disproportionately long arms and legs. The patient is provided with a plurality of face elements, each attachable to the head of the doll by way of an elastic band, so that a patient can express emotional states at a selected age in his life. Multiple face elements are simultaneously attached to the head portion to convey and portray one emotional state hidden by another. The doll preferably includes a backpack with a transparent pocket, to allow the patient to indicate the age currently being projected onto the doll. Multiple pockets allow for multiple ages to be indicated, thus providing the patient with the ability to convey an emotional history.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,621 to Joan Friedel describes a therapeutic doll for self help that is usable outside of a therapeutic or self help session. The doll includes a heart area which is illuminated and a speech producing device which outputs encouraging messages. The doll includes a variety of icons, such as a liquor bottle or pill bottle, to symbolize personal vices. The doll includes a shelf inside its cavity for placement of these icons. The shelf is collapsible by a pushing a button mechanism that causes the icons to fall through a hollow portion in the doll and into a knapsack coupled to the doll.

Using the doll encourages a user to confront his or her problems and abstain from using addictive substances.

None of these prior art references describe the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a therapeutic doll functioning as a tactile comfort for service families and loved ones.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a therapeutic doll functioning as a tactile comfort for service families and loved ones, wherein the doll is in the form of a female or male service member.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a therapeutic doll functioning as a tactile comfort for service families and loved ones, wherein the doll is customizable to resemble a particular service member.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a therapeutic doll functioning as a tactile comfort for service families and loved ones, in conjunction with a registration card and available database to offer support to the service member family.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a therapeutic doll functioning as a tactile comfort for service families and loved ones, in conjunction with customizable dog tags which identify a particular doll with a particular service member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a prototypical front view showing the present invention outfitted in a military uniform of a soft dark camouflage cloth material.

FIG. 2 is a prototypical front view showing the present invention outfitted in a different military uniform of a soft light camouflage cloth material.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Modern warfare is incredibly hard on everyone involved in it, but perhaps none more so than the loved ones of today's brave fighting men and women. Becoming estranged from one's close relatives and friends is a serious consequence all modern soldiers face before committing to a life of national service. Unable to being present physically to comfort one's children and spouse, and watch them grow, seriously damages the family's communion. Loved ones find themselves disconnected from their family on the front lines and yearn for a simple way to maintain a proper human connection. While this type of enforced separation is extremely difficult on spouses and parents of modern warriors, the separation is most acutely felt by their children. Growing up as a son or daughter of an armed forces member imparts a chaotic and tumultuous lifestyle on a developing child. Time spent with one of their two parental figures is extremely curtailed, restricted to those brief periods when an active duty father or mother is able to briefly return home on leave. This separation between parent and child has seriously negative effects on a child's cognitive development and emotional maturity, leading children of soldiers to act out or undertake other attention seeking behavior.

The present invention, hereinafter referred to as Comfort Doll Huggable Hero, or simply Hero Doll, is a therapeutic doll that provides family and loved ones of a deployed military member with an outlet for expressing their emotions. The Hero Doll creates a tactile manner in which people are comforted while suffering through the absence or loss of a loved one who is serving in armed forces. The Hero Doll provides a safe and comforting surrogate for children as it is fabricated to portray attributes of a particular soldier in the field. By offering specific looks and dog tags to capture the essence of a particular person in uniform and coupling it with a charitable donation program enacted in honor of that same serving soldier, the Hero Doll provides a personalized support system that protects developing emotional needs of those individuals who suffer through hardships of having a soldier in their family. The Hero Doll is a fittingly huggable testament to the power of love that sustains our valiant fighting forces when they are in the field overseas.

The Hero Doll is customizable with each doll specially made to conform to a purchaser's desired specifications. A number of standard features remain across the line of dolls produced in the Hero Doll line. All dolls are humanoid in shape, approximately 18 to 20 inches tall and one foot across at the shoulders. The dolls are manufactured in a simple sewn fabric construction and stuffed with a natural and hypoallergenic material to provide a comforting and squeezable bulk. Each doll is clad in a custom tailored outfit that imitates the dress uniform of the particular branch of the military in which the departed soldier serves. Each doll is outfitted with standard accoutrements associated with military dress uniform along with appropriate epaulets and piping to convey a particular soldier's rank. The front of the uniform jacket contains accurate campaign ribbons and miniature medals. Unique identifying characteristics such as tattoos or other distinguishing features are applicable to the doll's body, further reinforcing an association between the doll and the soldier being depicted. The doll can represent a male or female service member.

Additional embodiments of Hero Dolls are manufactured wearing casual combat attire. The most important aspect of the doll's physical appearance is its direct connection with the soldier it conveys. The Hero Doll is produced in a variety of different skin tones and hair colors. The combat embodiment is packaged wearing a full body jumpsuit with a desert camouflage patterning or a solid color jumpsuit.

Each Hero Doll package includes a registration card which is the key component in effecting a unique process that bonds a Hero Doll to its recipient. The registration card comes with a pre assigned dog tag identification number stamped at the top. This number references that particular doll in the Hero Doll database. This database is the main repository for all information associated with the dolls and allows the company to coordinate the manufacturing and distribution of the purchased doll's custom accessories.

The registration card provides field locations in which a new customer can record the name of the soldier being personified by the doll as well as information on the individual's rank in their respective branch of service. The rest of the card provides space for listing the location and date of purchase, as well as the name of the loved one for whom the doll is assigned to comfort and a personal sentiment message. This registration information is sent to the Hero Doll manufacturer, added to their database, and used to produce a custom set of doll sized dog tags with registered ID number and pertinent information embossed on them. These dog tags are mailed back to the doll owners, allowing them to identify their new doll and interface with the Hero Doll's online website where a personal sentiment message is viewed. Appropriate dress uniforms and other custom accessories for the dolls are orderable from the Hero Doll website.

The information from the registration card also identifies and sends a one dollar donation to Wounded Warrior Fund in the name of the soldier being honored. The Hero Doll is an ideal device for fostering a keen sense of camaraderie and closeness between soldiers in the field and their loved ones of any age. The doll is therapeutic for children of military parents, but also provides soft and comforting therapy for loved ones of all ages. Alternative embodiments of the Hero Doll are manufactured to represent other serving and loved entities such as policemen, fire fighters, teachers, coaches, doctors, nurses, Emergency Medical Technicians or EMTs, service rescue dogs and pet companions.

Although this invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments, it is not intended to be limited thereto and various modifications which will become apparent to the person of ordinary skill in the art are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as described herein taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. 

1. A therapeutic doll functioning as a tactile comfort for service families and loved ones, comprising: a doll having a humanoid shape, approximately 18 to 20 inches tall and one foot across at the shoulders, further wherein the doll is manufactured in a simple sewn fabric construction and stuffed with a natural and hypoallergenic material to provide a comforting and squeezable bulk.
 2. The therapeutic doll of claim 1, wherein the doll is customizable to conform to a purchaser's desired specifications including skin tones and hair styles and colors, a custom tailored outfit that imitates the dress uniform of the particular branch of the military in which the service member serves, further comprising standard accoutrements associated with military dress uniform including appropriate epaulets and piping to convey a particular soldier's rank, campaign ribbons and miniature medals on the front of the uniform jacket; further comprising unique personal identifying characteristics such as tattoos or other distinguishing features applicable to the body of the doll, and features to represent a male or female service member.
 3. The therapeutic doll of claim 2, further comprising dog tags to identify the service member which the doll represents.
 4. The therapeutic doll of claim 2, wherein the doll is dressed in combat uniform comprising a full body jumpsuit with a desert camouflage patterning or a solid color jumpsuit.
 5. The therapeutic doll of claim 2, further comprising a registration card wherein the registration card comprises a pre assigned dog tag identification number stamped at the top of the registration card, wherein the identification number references the particular doll in a database, further wherein the database is a main repository for all information associated with the doll and allows a manufacturer to coordinate construction and distribution of the custom accessories for the doll.
 6. The therapeutic doll of claim 5, further wherein the registration card provides field locations in which a customer can record a name of the service member being represented by the doll and information on the service member's rank in their respective branch of service, further wherein the registration card provides space for listing location and date of purchase, and name of the person for whom the doll is assigned to comfort and a personal sentiment message, further wherein the registration card information is sent to the manufacturer, added to the database, and used to produce a custom set of doll sized dog tags with registered identification number and pertinent information embossed on the dog tags, wherein the dog tags are mailed to the doll owner, allowing the owner to identify the doll and interface with an online website where a personal sentiment message ca n be viewed.
 7. The therapeutic doll of claim 6, further wherein information from the registration card also identifies and sends a donation to Wounded Warrior Fund in the name of the service member being represented by the doll.
 8. The therapeutic doll of claim 2, wherein the doll is dressed in dress uniform.
 9. The therapeutic doll of claim 2, wherein the doll is customized represent other serving entities including policemen, fire fighters, teachers, coaches, doctors, nurses, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), service rescue dogs and pet companions. 